What’s the difference between a urologist and a nephrologist?

What’s the difference between a urologist and a nephrologist? No, this isn’t the set up for a joke. It’s a common question that some patients wonder about.

The confusion arises because both urologist and nephrologists treat kindey problems. However, each is trained to manage specific types of problems.

To clear the confusion, I asked Urology San Antonio physician Dr. Kurt G. Meissner to provide a simple, layman’s explination. Here it is.

Urologists are surgical specialists who focus on anatomical or structural disorders of the kidneys and urinary tract. They treat problems such as kidney stones, kidney blockages and kidney cancer. Urologists are qualified to perform surgery and outpatient medical procedures to correct these conditions.

Nephrologists are medical specialists who focus on disorders that affect the way the kidneys work, for example, diabetes and chronic kidney disease. Nephrologists prescribe nonsurgical medical treatments for these disorders.

The roles of nephrologists and urologists often overlap, and they work together on conditions having both medical and surgical requirements.

So there you have it, one of mysteries of medicine solved. If you have other urology questions or that we can shed some light on, send us a note through this blog or our use the Contact Us feature on our website. If your question could benefit others, we will post the answer here or on the Frequently Asked Questions page of our site.